Weekend reads: 8 great stories

The Poutine, with pulled short rib, cheddar cheese curds, tomato jam and fries, is photographed at the Craft House Feb. 17, 2015 in Suffern. The gastropub serves classic American dishes and focuses on local, seasonal, hand-crafted food as well as craft beers, wine and spirits.(Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

ICYMI on lohud

Feline rescuers: Not your typical cat ladies: With woefully insufficient resources for official animal control and shelter efforts in the region, some business professionals in the Lower Hudson Valley are stepping up and devoting off-duty hours to catch feral and abandoned cats outdoors, have them spayed or neutered, then return or foster and find them loving homes.

Scarsdale woman inspired Harry Chapin's 'Taxi': Clare Alden MacIntyre-Ross' passed away on March 9 in Falls Church, Virginia. Her claim to fame was that she inspired Harry Chapin to write the love song "Taxi," about former lovers who meet after years when he picks her up in his cab.

Little Spot faces foreclosure: The landmark roadside eatery on Route 22, famous for its chili dogs, has been here for more than 60 years and, along with the North White Plains firehouse may be the most identifiable place in a hamlet that has long struggled to maintain its own identity.

From around the web

360 video of D.C. cherry blossoms in full bloom: The cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. attract visitors from all around the world. About a million and a half people visit each year to see the trees which were planted in 1912 by the first lady Helen Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador. Don't have time to see the blossoms? Watch this 360 degree video.

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down are moving on up: The indie-folk artist Thao Nguyen released her fifth album in the run-up to South by Southwest in Austin, and with a decidedly electronic sound and a lot more bass. It's a major departure from her other records.

The night Bruce Springsteen met The Ramones: On an early spring night following his Darkness on the Edge of Town tour, Bruce Springsteen came by to see punk rock pioneers The Ramones. A friendship, and a legend, was born.